


All's Well That Ends Well (To End Up With You)

by another_lonely_writer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Admiring from Afar, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy Friendship, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Fluff, Hogwarts, Marriage Proposal, Pining, marriage law, they have a chat at a cafe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:36:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28065594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/another_lonely_writer/pseuds/another_lonely_writer
Summary: Hermione wants to reach across the table and grab his robes, she wants to shake and rattle some sense into him. Maybe all those little moments truly did mean nothing to him, perhaps she had read the situations all wrong.“Is this saying you won’t keep me happy?” She murmurs. Is this you saying you never felt it?..The Marriage Law passes. Draco and Hermione sit down to have a talk.
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 34
Kudos: 255





	All's Well That Ends Well (To End Up With You)

“Is it true you asked for me?” She waited expecting his face to morph into a sneer so reminiscent of the Malfoy she remembered. It’s been years since she’s had a proper conversation with him- their acquaintance having been reduced to nods at the Ministry or exchanged glances during a charity gala.

He remained impassive, still as a statue. Malfoy cocked his head to the side, “Why would that matter?” he intones. He has gotten better at this- at wearing his mask.

“Of course it matters.”

The Marriage Law had come into effect; she didn’t know why that managed to surprise her. Hermione Granger was not a hopeless romantic, books and unwavering trust in logic brushed off fantasies of young handsome princes and fairy tale notions of romance. Yet, she still hoped to fall in love one day, a love she found all on her own. Visions of an adoring husband in the future; in a happy house along with a few children to call her own; simple wants.

All that ripped away in an instant. She was going to be matched with someone through the Ministry or risk Azkaban. No exceptions. So she stares at him, begging him to just answer- to admit for once that he might actually want her too. She wonders if he could feel an inkling of what she once felt for him. 

After a moment's pause, he clears his throat “Potter needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut.”

“Harry was just looking out for me in the way he knows how.” She plays with the ends of her hair, as he remains stoic.

“Why are you even here Granger?” 

She supposes the letter was to be blamed, the sheer shock of receiving the Ministry notice hadn’t quite faded yet. The accompanying letter that arrived promptly after, with the Malfoy family seal glinting, asking her to meet was even stranger. 

Her presence might have had to do with the weird flame of hope; of desire that had been burning in her since reading his invitation. So many hours of wistful daydreaming, of admiring from afar as a teenager. How could she refuse his request? 

“You asked me to come. Here I am.” she shrugs simply.

“Oh yes and Hermione Granger is nothing but the epitome of obedience” He drawled. “Were the rest of the choices truly so awful you decided to entertain my request for your hand?” His voice was mocking and yet his eyes seemed sincere. “What, am I the lesser of the other two evils?”

“Is it truly so hard to believe that I would choose you?” 

He scoffs and waits. It’s her turn to answer now, with a deep sigh she complies- “Theodore Nott and Charlie Weasley”

The effect is apparent as he stiffens. “Ah then it seems like I’ve wasted your time, Granger. I do wish you a blissful matrimony.”

“What in Merlin's name are you on about Malfoy? We aren’t schoolyard children anymore, is it too much to ask for a civilised normal conversation? Preferably one where you aren’t speaking in riddles?” Her hands clench into fists. 

“You’re mistaken Granger. There’s nothing here to discuss.” His voice is level and calm. Hermione wonders what happened to the snarking boy who was so easy to rile up.

“I beg to disagree, I think there is a lot to go over” She doesn’t think she quite manages to hide the quiver of anger in her voice. He sighs and leans back into his chair.

“It seems you were fated to be a Weasley, I’m certainly in no position to fight against the stars. He would obviously be the better choice”

“Charlie Weasley would be the easier choice.” She corrects him. 

Quiet. Silence. An impasse.

His eyes focused on her, gleaming as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. As if this cursed law hasn’t rattled him as much as it has rattled her. It’s his hands that give him away. Twirling the signet ring with an intricate and looping ‘M’ engraved into its setting. It is the only thing that gives away his discomfort.

After a deep breath he continues carefully “I have known Theo for a long time, shared a dorm with the bloke for seven years- I know he is quite fond of you. He even fancied himself in love during those few years of happiness before the War. He would keep you happy Granger” 

Hermione wants to reach across the table and grab his robes, she wants to shake and rattle some sense into him. Maybe all those little moments truly did mean nothing to him, perhaps she had read the situations all wrong.

“Is this saying you won’t keep me happy?” She murmurs. _Is this you saying you never felt it?_

* * *

_She pushes open the door to the cabin. Inside, Hermione sees a pale boy with startling blonde hair- it almost looks white. He looks at her questioningly._

_“Hello. My name is Hermione Granger, I’m looking for a toad- a boy named Neville has lost one. Have you seen it anywhere?”_

_He shakes his head. “No, I can’t say I have. My name is Draco Malfoy. Can you believe we’re actually going to Hogwarts?” He gives her a wide smile. She gives him a grin of her own and slides in to sit across him._

_“I can’t wait to learn! I could hardly believe it when Professor McGonagall came over to tell me I was a witch!” The smile slides off his face and his eyes widen. Did she say something wrong?_

_“You didn’t know you were a witch? Didn’t your parents bother to tell you?”_

_“Oh! My parents can’t do magic, I’m the first witch in the family!” She states proudly. Draco looks uncomfortable, “I think you should leave now, Hermione.” he states._

_Hermione blinks at the sudden dismissal. Oh well, she has a toad to find but she wonders what she said that made him so cagey._

+++

_Being petrified is a strange feeling. Hermione can hear everyone talk around her, she can sense the warmth of the sun as the sunshine hits her cot each morning. She can feel the people touch her and is restricted to a narrow field of vision. All in all, it is infuriating. She wishes she could scream! She wishes she could call for eyewitnesses when she sees Malfoy walking towards her._

_“Mudblood!” He had spat at her, what a vile thing to call someone. She can’t believe he had the nerve showing up here. At least she knew for sure he wasn’t the Heir of Slytherin, Merlin knows she’d be long dead if he was._

_He is staring at her in contemplation, “Look I don’t know if you can hear me and I feel rather stupid, but I wanted to apologize I suppose.”_

_Who was he and what had he done to Draco Malfoy?_

_“Come on Granger, time for you to wake up. Classes aren’t the same without you there bouncing up and down to answer everything.” He is quiet for a moment, fidgeting with something she can’t quite see._

_He looks behind his shoulders and quickly scans the room before taking a few steps closer._

_She thinks she feels his hand graze hers. She desperately wishes she could say something- that she could react. Draco has placed something inside her clenched fists- she hasn’t the faintest idea what it could possibly be._

_“Get better soon, Hermione” The words are a hushed whisper which echo in her ear long after Malfoy leaves her line of sight._

+++

_He storms up to her in the library and throws himself down in the chair next to her._

_“You’ve got some nerve, Granger” His voice is furious. She simply arches an eyebrow._

_“You were being a git. You had it coming.” He picks up her quill and twirls it around his deft fingers._

_“Fair enough, but remember turnabout is fair play” He levels a smirk in her direction. “I’ll let it slide this time Princess”_

_“Tell me, did I manage to break your nose?”_

_“Oh please- don’t let this go to your head, witch.” She grins._

_The next morning she wakes up with neon orange hair. She isn’t sure how he did it, honestly she’s even a bit impressed. Sneaky, scheming Slytherin!_

_She rushes to breakfast after a detour to the infirmary, a short note is there waiting for her._

_“I thought you’d like to color coordinate with that monster you call a cat.”_

_She glances up at the Slytherin table. He catches her eye and winks._

+++

_Periwinkle blue dresses and laughter and merriment. Christmas cheer and laughter and spinning and spinning in the arms of Viktor Krum. Memories of being a girl- not just the resident bookworm._

_“You’re fraternizing with the enemy” and the happy visage crashes. Ron’s words hurt and the dream comes crashing around her. She’s nothing to write home about- just bookish Granger and the tears fall without her consent._

_She is slumped down on the stairs off to a corner, wallowing in her misery. An incredulous “Granger?” rings out as she tries to remember where this day went so horribly wrong. “Go away Malfoy, I can’t deal with you of all things right now” Footsteps shuffle closer and the blonde sits next to her on the steps. He clears his throat and shoves something into her line of vision. She blinks once-twice. A handkerchief. She looks at him in bewilderment. The shock making her forget her sorrow for just a moment._

_“Nobody should cry today Granger, Not even you.” He says by way of explanation. She slowly takes the handkerchief and blots the tears from her face._

_“You know Granger, If I had to choose between my three boyfriends; I’d drop Weasley too” ” She looks at him bewildered as he stands up and leaves before she has the chance to thank him._

_She looks down at the handkerchief, the only tangible proof of this strange encounter. D.L.M is embroidered in the corner- she scoffs- of course he has monogrammed handkerchiefs. It’s just the kind of pretension she’d expect from Malfoy. A small smile plays on her lips as she slowly gets up and makes the long and winding journey to the Gryffindor dormitories._

+++

_“Draco Malfoy has caught the snitch! Slytherin wins!”_

_The crowd decked in green erupts into screams and laughter. She sees Pansy Parkinson practically crash into Malfoy as she wraps her hands around him, congratulating him on the win. Malfoy is radiant and smiling as he accepts thanks and pats on the back. Zabini complains loudly about overbearing girlfriends. Pansy starts bickering with him- it is a familiar sight. Hermione is surrounded by the sounds of groans and complains but her eyes are fixed on a particular blonde._

_He is in the middle of the pitch, holding the snitch up in triumph, waving it about. For a second, their eyes meet and she swears she sees him nod and hold the snitch up to her as an offering- but then he turns around and she is being dragged by her friends back towards the common room._

_That night, the boys mope about complaining about slimy Slytherins and Hermione Granger can’t stop thinking about grey eyes and secret smiles._

+++

_Hermione had lost track of time in the library...again. All the extra research was proving to be fruitless so far. She needed to figure out a way to communicate with D.A members discreetly and efficiently. The only viable option she had found was charming a new set of notebooks, like the paired diaries she had once seen at Flourish and Blotts._

_It’s well after curfew and she is sneaking up back to the dorms. She nearly makes it before bumping into the last person she wants to see._

_“Malfoy.”_

_“Granger.”_

_“I think 100 points ought to be good enough for sneaking out past curfew” Her eyes widen._

_“100 points! Isn’t that slightly excessive?”_

_“I think it’s fair for the Gryffindor Princess.”_

_“Tell me Malfoy, how does it feel being Umbridge’s bitch?” She sniffs haughtily._

_“Tell me Granger, how does it feel to have a stick up your arse?”_

_“Tell me Malfoy-” He interrupts running a frustrated hand through his hair “Oh just run along, Granger! I don’t want to deal with you right now.”_

_She skips away and realizes with a start that Malfoy didn’t take away any points at all-- let alone the hundred he promised._

+++

 _Life would be so much easier if Harry just listened to her. Madam Pomfrey is Merlin knows where; preparing another batch of foul potions she has to knock down. They don’t know what curse Dolohov used but she knows it hurts like hell._ _The curse has left a nasty scar and if she were a simpler witch, she might have cried at the permanent disfigurement. Unfortunately, there were much bigger problems; the incident at the Department of Mysteries has become hazy and unclear through the lens of adrenaline but Harry’s screams are crystal clear in her memory._

_Sirius Black is dead._

_He is dead because of their incompetence and she feels her heart sink._

_“Was it my father?” She hadn’t seen Malfoy walk up to her little cot but he is standing there looking at her expectantly._ _Her confusion must have been evident on her face because he gestures towards the hint of the scar that peeks out on her collarbone. The scar runs down nearly all the way to her stomach._

_“No.” She replies firmly and he lets out a breath she didn’t know he was holding. He almost looks relieved as he spins on his heel and leaves as abruptly as he came._

+++

_The sound of footsteps causes her head to snap up. She’s furiously wiping away evidence of her tears and she snaps her head up as the person approaches._

_“Malfoy.”_

_“Granger” he replies flatly. He looks as awful as she feels. He looks different this year, he looks tired. If she didn’t know any better she would say he was ill, but that didn’t make any sense_

_He sighs deeply “This better not be over the Weasel again.”_

_The words tumble out of her “He was kissing Lavender!” She’s outraged._

_“Brown? Merlin, I always knew he was stupid but this is a new low.” He meets her eyes with a determination she has only seen on him on the Quidditch pitch._

_Malfoy steps closer and he’s leaning over her, leaning towards her. She can’t take her eyes off of him. It’s like she’s frozen-she can’t move._

_She doesn’t want to move._

_His hand snakes up slowly to cup her jaw, tilting her head up, his face just a whisper away from hers. She had never noticed that his eyes were grey before. They were a stormy sea. Hermione wanted to drown._

_“Granger?” He whispers, his voice raspy and desperate. She slowly pushes up onto her tiptoes letting her lips brush his in response, the faintest hint of a kiss before-_

_“Hermione?” Harry’s voice calls out from somewhere nearby_

_She pulls back suddenly, wide eyed. What was she doing? She bolts out, and hears Malfoy cursing Harry’s name as she leaves._

_That night she dreams of dark grey skies and pale skin._

+++

_Amortentia. It was apples. The third smell was the sweet tang of a green apple; she glances across the hall to Malfoy. He is talking to Theo, with Parkinson draped across his lap. She clenches her jaw._

_She can still feel the way his fingers felt tracing her cheek. She wonders what would have happened if Harry didn’t have such stupid timing. Does he touch Pansy like she’s something precious too?_

_What is she doing? Pansy is his girlfriend and she is- Hermione shakes her head as if she could force the thought out of her mind._

_Hermione watches Draco reach across the table to grab a fresh green apple and take a large bite. The juice dribbles down his chin and she feels her face heat. She quickly grabs her books and makes her excuses._

_Hermione has to leave before she goes insane._

+++

_What was Harry thinking? She tears down the steps making her way to the infirmary. What kind of idiot uses an unknown, possibly illegal spell? Merlin, she hopes he is okay. Her heart is racing a mile a minute as she early sprints through the halls._

_If something happens to him, she doesn’t thinks she could ever forgive Harry._

_She pushes through the gates and tries to catch her breath; at the furthest corner she sees Professor Snape talking quietly to Madam Pomfrey. Hermione lets her gaze wander and sees him. She sucks in a gasp._

_Draco Malfoy looks as pale as a corpse, the bandages covering him are soaked a crimson red. The harsh contrast makes her head spin._ _She starts to step toward him, just to see-just to make sure his heart is still beating but Pansy Parkinson steps into her line of sight._ _Pansy is sitting beside the cot, holding vigil, her body shaking with sobs. Blaise has a hand around her shoulder, trying to calm her down._

_The sight is a stark reminder that Draco Malfoy isn’t hers to covet._

_Hermione quietly slips out and turns into an empty classroom where tears come unbidden._

+++

_She has never known pain like this. The cold marble does nothing to combat the fire burning in her blood. Hermione wonders if this is how she’ll die. The wicked crucio runs through her body and the world tilts, she thinks she hears someone laughing._

_“You’re made of stronger stuff, Granger.” A familiar voice rings through her head as clear as a bell. The world around her starts to shift._

_Hermione wonders if the elves will be able to scrub off her mangled body from the pristine floors._

_“Where’s that Gryffindor bravery?” The voice is back… Draco? The pain fades into something more tolerable. She looks towards him but he is a statue, his eyes focused on something she can’t see._

_“Just hang on a bit longer, can you do that for me?” His voice sounds a bit strained now. She sees Bellatrix’s wand digging into her, but the agony it should bring is diminished._

_‘He must be using some form of legilimency is her last thought before she sees the chandelier swing and crash._

+++

_It’s over. She glances across the courtyard and sees them. The Malfoy family stands secluded, huddled around each other- enemies to The Order, traitors to their Lord._

_The people around her are healing each other, grieving and crying. Hermione knows it’s foolish but her feet have a mind of their own. She treks up towards the disgraced family._

_Narcissa Malfoy is nursing a broken wrist. A simple episkey would suffice but the family is wandless and so Hermione walks up to the proud matriarch offering her own. Narcissa looks bewildered but accepts and quickly rights herself._

_Hermione takes back her wand and walks away, not noticing Draco’s eyes lingering after her_.

* * *

He is staring at her and she’s thinking of all those moments-interactions that still keep her wondering and dreaming of what ifs. Small glimpses into the person he truly was and not the persona he projects.

She has no doubt that he would keep her happy.

Godric knows, she has never been able to look away from him.

He clears his throat, finally looking as awkward as she feels. He slowly reaches into a pocket of his robes, something she’s sure has cost more than her monthly salary, and pulls out a little box. 

“I had hoped against all reason that you would come here today, and as you are so determined to ignore what’s good for you--” He shakes his head.

“I’m serious about this Granger- about you. There are some customs I'd like to adhere to, unorthodox as this is. There are some traditions that I still value” he pulls out a small box and slides it across the table to her. He nods at her to open it. 

Inside is the one of the most beautiful bracelets she’s ever seen. A string of ruby red roses woven together by delicate gold threads. Little emeralds form gleaming leaves. 

She looks at him, her eyes wide.

“Malfoy, I couldn’t possibly-“

“You can, and you will. Get used to the jewellry Granger, I intend to drape my wife in diamonds” His voice is firm with no room for argument as he reaches across and grabs her hand. He clasps the bracelet onto her wrist and she feels it hum with magic.

My wife. The words send a thrill up her spine.

“This belonged to my Great Great Grandmother Rubella” A light chuckles as he fiddles with the lock on the bracelet. “My Grandfather rather adored her and imbued the jewels with family magic- for protection and safety and good health. She was a Gryffindor like you” 

He holds both of her hands in his, and she realizes again how tall he has gotten, how different he is from the boy that used to tease her and yet altogether the same. “You reckless lot probably need all the protection you can get” There's something different about his voice now, an intensity that wasn’t there just a moment ago.

Eyes never leaving her face, he gently brings her hands to his lips, “The Malfoy journals mention how Rubella brought happiness and light into the family” He breathes against her skin. “I hope you will too” The words caress her skin and she feels the faintest pressure of a kiss on her wrist. 

Draco Malfoy is an enigma, they’ve been revolving around each other too long, this crash was inevitable. The boy in her story has always been him, for better or for worse. She sees him mocking and taunting and teasing. She sees him comfort and soothe and ache. She sees the spoiled boy he once was. He sees the proud man he has become.

She sees him. 

She’s only ever been able to see him.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a short scene that came to me as I was listening to Lover by Taylor Swift for the millionth time. I just had to write it, cliché as it was!


End file.
